


Midnight Snacking

by mantisbelle



Category: Wiedźmin | The Witcher (Video Game), Wiedźmin | The Witcher - All Media Types, Wiedźmin | The Witcher Series - Andrzej Sapkowski
Genre: Found Family, Gen, Geralt and Eskel are Little Shits, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Kaer Morhen (The Witcher), Parent-Child Relationship, Teacher-Student Relationship, Witcher Training (The Witcher), Young Witchers (The Witcher)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-24
Updated: 2021-02-24
Packaged: 2021-03-15 12:21:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,658
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29683890
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mantisbelle/pseuds/mantisbelle
Summary: Geralt hears about what's going to be in the ovens down in the kitchens, and armed with the knowledge that it's going to be Eskel's favorite treat, he decides it's time for a midnight excursion.Nothing could go wrong, of course.Eskel agrees to go along, begrudgingly.----Written for Sugar and Spice Witcher Bingo.Prompt: Favorite Foods
Relationships: Eskel & Geralt z Rivii | Geralt of Rivia, Eskel & Geralt z Rivii | Geralt of Rivia & Vesemir, Eskel & Vesemir (The Witcher)
Comments: 4
Kudos: 22
Collections: Sugar and Spice Witcher Bingo





	Midnight Snacking

**Author's Note:**

> Written for [Sugar and Spice Witcher Bingo](https://sugar-and-spice-witcher-bingo.tumblr.com/) using the prompt "Favorite Foods." 
> 
> Enjoy!

Geralt woke Eskel up in the middle of the night with a traditional jab of his thumb into Eskel's rib cage. It worked every time, since Eskel always woke up with a surprised jolt. That was why it had become a tradition for Geralt to use it. It hadn’t failed him yet.

Eskel gave him the flattest, more tired look. His dark brown, almost black hair stuck up awkwardly and he looked across at Geralt with tired storm grey eyes. "What?" He asked Geralt. "Go back to bed, it's late." 

"C'mon," Geralt whispered to Eskel in the hopes that it would rouse Eskel to get up and engage in some terrible ideas with him. Not that those ideas were any worse than the sorts of things that they would have gotten up to normally, anyhow. "It's late and that means that the kitchens are empty." 

"Yeah, but the hallways aren't," Eskel retorted, rubbing at his eyes as he tried to wake himself up. It only served to leave him looking more mussed. "Vesemir is  _ always  _ around." 

Geralt rolled his eyes. "Come on, you know Vesemir only punishes us half the time he's supposed to," he glanced back over his shoulder to make sure that he and Eskel hadn't managed to wake up any of the other boys in the room. Most of the time they ended up waking someone else up, and when they  _ really _ made someone mad they got told on and then were put to Vesemir or Varin's mercy. Usually Vesemir's, since he was the one in charge of their cohort. 

"Why are you doing this?" Eskel pushed himself upright, his blanket sliding down on his stomach. "I just want to--" 

"Because there are  _ honey cakes  _ in the kitchens," Geralt cut Eskel off before his friend could say anything else. "And I know those are your favorites." 

"Honey cakes," Eskel breathed out with clear annoyance. "That's it?" 

"Yeah," Geralt said. "I thought maybe we could get some while they're still fresh and warm. The cooks don't usually tell on us when they are there, so I thought..."

Eskel seemed to consider it. "We didn't get as much at dinner as we usually do." He mumbled after a moment.

"So we should go," Geralt prodded. "All the honey cakes we can eat and they won't even  _ know _ ."

"Unless we get caught."

"Yeah, unless we get caught," Geralt grumbled. "So?"

Eskel tossed in the bed, clearly uneasy at the prospect of what  _ could _ happen if the two of them got caught trying to sneak into the kitchen. Most nights it just depended on who caught them. If it was Vesemir, he’d usually tan their hides then send them to bed. Varin would get angry enough to make them run to the bastion and back without their boots. The mages and most of the other instructors would just see to it that the two of them didn’t get any breakfast. 

Geralt understood Eskel’s nerves. He understood that Eskel hadn’t gotten used to three meals a day until he was at Kaer Morhen. Geralt had never lived anywhere else, so maybe there was something about it that he just didn’t get. He understood Eskel not wanting to have to run to the bastion or face training in the morning without anything in his stomach.

He knew the fear himself well enough. Getting caught out in training with an empty stomach and in the hot sun. By the middle of the morning they’d be worked so hard that they were about to drop where they were standing or be feeling so faint that they had to be marched back to the keep. One morning it had been so bad Geralt had thrown up. He knew it had happened to Eskel three times since they’d first started training. 

Geralt gently prodded Eskel. “If we get in trouble, it’ll be together,” he gently reminded his friend. “And if we don’t get caught, we’ll just come back here and go back to sleep.”

“What if there isn’t anything there?” Eskel asked, voicing a fear that Geralt understood was always there under the surface but still didn’t quite  _ understand. _ Eskel’s hands kneaded at his blanket, wringing the fabric in an attempt to make himself relax. There were dark bruises on his wrists from blocking practice a few days before. Geralt had similar ones, but they were yellowing faster than Eskel’s were. 

His wounds  _ always _ seemed to heal a little bit faster. Nobody knew why. Geralt was just glad that he didn’t have to suffer the hurts as long as the other boys did. It made some things easier. 

A lot of the time, Geralt just felt  _ bad _ knowing that his friends were hurting when he wasn’t anymore, or at least as badly. 

He reached out and wrapped his arms around Eskel. “It’s going to be okay,” Geralt re-assured his morose friend once more. “It’s  _ wednesday _ ,” he stage-whispered. “Master Vesemir’s the one patrolling, it’ll be okay.” 

Eskel softened, pushed himself upright and rubbed at his eyes like he was trying to chase away his exhaustion. “When we get in trouble, I’m blaming you.”

“Okay,” Geralt said, tugging at Eskel. “Come  _ on, _ the longer we wait they won’t be warm anymore.” 

Finally convinced, Eskel sat up and turned so that his feet dangled off of the side of the bed. He stretched, slipped his feet into the pair of shoes that were his and his alone, and pulled on a warmer sweater than the one he was already wearing. He made no effort to flatten down his hair.

Geralt grabbed Eskel by the wrist and dragged him over towards the door. It was closed, but never locked. He pushed the door open carefully and peered out into the hall. When he found no sign of Vesemir, Barmin, Varin, or any other teacher, Geralt deemed it safe and led the way out. 

Eskel kept close to him, staying at his back and stepping just as carefully as Geralt did. Every time they reached the spot where two hallways intersected, the pair paused, checked around the corners, and decided to keep on moving. 

It was when they reached the most treacherous part of their trip that the two of them realized that they were in trouble.

A shadow passed, down the hall and down the stairs. Someone was up and walking around, and neither of them knew who. So close to the kitchens it could be anyone, a mage even. The mages didn’t care about them because they were trainees, but the instructors would mean they’d get a hiding for being out of bed so late. A mage  _ could _ mean that they get turned in to Headmaster Rennes though, and  _ that _ was real trouble.

Geralt and Eskel watched and waited, and only once they were  _ sure _ that the shadow was going the other direction, did they go down the staircase to the ground floor. They passed through a few halls, still trying to keep themselves as quiet as they could, knowing that if they so much as  _ walked _ wrong they were definitely going to be caught. 

They reached the great hall and had to  _ sprint _ to reach the kitchen, Geralt pushing open the door and holding it while Eskel slipped inside behind them. Both of them inside, Geralt closed the door quietly. 

The kitchens were one of Geralt’s favorite places in Kaer Morhen, they always had been. The fire was always warm— much warmer than the room upstairs where the boys were kept. The only room comparable was the room with the littles, but that was only because the youngest boys were the ones that could die of the cold the easiest. 

Geralt remembered being in that room, but Eskel never would. 

A hundred smells hit Geralt all at once. Meat, cooking long over a fire, bread baking in one of the ovens, garlic and onion and spices all in the air. 

“I’ll check the pantry,” Eskel said as quietly as he could, then turned to go and look for the fabled honey cakes. Geralt, on the other hand, chose to check the racks. 

The door to the pantry opened, and he heard a shocked  _ gasp _ out of Eskel, followed immediately by stammering apologies.

They hadn’t been careful enough.

“You two did well tonight,” Vesemir said from inside the pantry, amused. Geralt rushed over to Eskel’s side, since his friend was locking up in nerves like he did so often. Immediately, he grabbed for Eskel’s hand just to let him know that Geralt was still  _ there.  _ “ you two almost made it down here without anyone noticing.” 

Geralt’s brow screwed up. What had they done wrong?

“For the future,” Vesemir was leaned back against a shelf full of jars of  _ something _ . Whatever it was, Geralt didn’t think that it looked very appetizing. “It would do you two well not to conspire so loudly. You never know who might overhear you two and decide it’s for the better to intercept you.” 

Geralt’s face got hot in embarrassment. Vesemir had heard them talking and had come down to the kitchen because he knew that was where they were going. Their sneaking down hadn’t gone right at all, he’d hid from the two of them to make sure that they learned a lesson.

Eskel hung his head at Geralt’s side. “We’re sorry, sir,” Eskel said quietly, not daring to look up and see the clear disapproval across their teacher’s face. “We—”

“You can’t tell me that you two didn’t mean to,” Vesemir reminded them. “I heard you planning. I think it’d be better if you two told me what this was about.”

Geralt and Eskel exchanged a look with each other, neither sure that they wanted to admit to being out of bed over something as silly as the chance to eat a few cakes before going back to bed. 

Vesemir didn’t force them out of the pantry though. He didn’t approach them in anger, or reach out for them like he was going to drag them back to bed by their ears. He just watched and waited, patiently. 

It was Geralt that decided to speak. “We were hungry, Papa Vesemir,” he said. He chose to use the unofficial nickname for their teacher, hopeful that it might minimize whatever punishment the two of them eventually got. “And we didn’t get as much at dinner as usual.” 

“And you mean to tell me that you intended to bring food back to the other boys?” Vesemir asked. 

“No,” Geralt said, “We came down because—” He looked to Eskel, who looked so nervous that he might have been about to cry. “I heard they were making honey cakes,” Geralt whispered, “and they’re Eskel’s favorite so I thought we could…” 

Vesemir sighed heavily. “I should have known,” he whispered. “Dealt with something like this for every group of boys I’ve ever had to teach. Usually I don’t pay you boys too much mind, but tonight I thought I’d speak to you about what you’re doing, and  _ why. _ ”

Both boys bristled at the statement. Geralt squeezed Eskel’s hand, trying again to reassure. 

“You two do understand why you can’t just sneak to the kitchens and eat all you want, don’t you?” Vesemir didn’t look angry, still. He just looked… tired. But when he got no immediate answer, Vesemir decided to continue on. “It’s because these kitchens feed the whole keep. And when food gets stolen out of it in the middle of the night, it means that someone else has to go without in the day. And sometimes, that means that you boys will go without too.” 

All at once, both of them understood the reason that their portions had been smaller during the day. Someone had done the same thing that they were doing, bu they’d decided to do it for something that wasn’t as silly as a few little cakes. 

“I see you understand,” Vesemir said, voice quiet. “We know that this is going to happen with you boys, it’s expected even. But you have to be aware of why it’s a problem. This isn’t the first time that I’ve caught the two of you, but tonight I’m not going to just send you back to bed and ignore it. I want you two to understand why what you’re doing is wrong.”

He looked between the two of them. “Is that alright?” 

“We’re still hungry,” Eskel mumbled, still looking at the floor instead of up at Vesemir. “But…” 

Vesemir hummed. “I understand,” he told them again. “This isn’t easy living, but you two are going to need to get used to that. On the Path, you won’t get the luxury of three meals a day. Tomorrow you’ll get your honey cakes and full meals, but for tonight you’ll have to go without.” 

Geralt shot Vesemir an accusatory look. “But—”

“There are no  _ buts _ ,” Vesemir reminded him. “You’re the ones that are up and out of bed. I’d rather not have to run you extra hard in the morning either.” 

Eskel and Geralt nodded, realizing that they’d lost when it came to their midnight snack. They could only hope for a filling enough breakfast. 

Vesemir pointed the two of them out of the pantry, and Eskel and Geralt went. 

“Wait outside the door,” he instructed them, and so they both went and stood and waited for Vesemir. He would walk them back up to their room, because that was what he  _ always _ did when they got into trouble. 

“It could have been worse,” Geralt whispered to Eskel. 

“I  _ told _ you,” Eskel grumbled, wrapping his arms around himself in a self-conscious hug. “I told you that we’d get caught.” The look that Eskel shot at Geralt was purely accusatory, but there was no sign that he was going to fight. Instead, he just looked deflated. “And we—”

Geralt frowned. “We aren’t in trouble,” he pointed out. “Papa Vesemir said so.” 

“But—” Eskel grit his teeth in frustration. “But we  _ are _ in trouble.” 

After a minute or two, Vesemir came out from inside the pantry and looked down at the two of them. “What’s the matter now?" 

“Nothing, Papa Vesemir,” Eskel and Geralt said in unison. For a moment, Geralt felt just as bad as Eskel did. 

Their instructor sighed and offered each of them a strip of hard, dried out jerky. “It’s not what you were hoping for, but I’d rather do something to make sure you don’t try to do this again.” 

Both of the boys took the jerky and began to chew on it. Geralt didn’t mind the taste, since it was venison with onion or some other spice. Eskel nibbled at it, taking his time with the food. 

“Once you’re done, we’re going up to the room” Vesemir said. “You’ll get your honey cakes after dinner, you have my word. But if this happens again, I’m not going to hesitate to make you run the killer in your sleep clothes. Am I understood?” 

The two boys nodded, ate their jerky, and when they were finished they followed Vesemir up to the barracks. He stood outside the door and waited while the two of them climbed into bed, and only once Geralt and Eskel were both settled  _ in their own bunks _ did Vesemir leave. 

Eskel immediately got out of bed and slipped in alongside Geralt. Geralt cuddled him close, and soon the two of them were able to sleep without feeling hunger pangs. 

The day that followed was hard, and Vesemir  _ did _ run them a little harder than he usually did. But the real treat came that night, when Geralt and Eskel found that they were each given half an extra portion of a single honey cake. 

When Geralt looked over at the table where Vesemir and the other instructors sat, he realized that Vesemir sat there, the only one at the table with no honey cake for himself. 

And Geralt felt bad, but he understood.

**Author's Note:**

> [Find me on Tumblr](https://arynasea.tumblr.com)   
>  [Find me on Twitter](https://twitter.com/hymen_opus)   
> 


End file.
